Railway vehicle underframe and coupler support structure



1952 A. w. CLARKE ETAL RAILWAY VEHICLE UNDERFRAME AND COUPLER SUPPORT STRUCTURE Filed Jan. 8, 1947 HW K INVENTORS. WILLIAM C. KRAUTHEIM ALLEN W C LARKE ATONEY.

Patented Jan. .15, 1952 theim. assignor to'Gcnerai Steel Castings Corporation, Granite CitysIlL, a corporation of Dela ware, and said Clarke assignor to American Car'and Foundry '(lo'mpani' New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application Jam,- .8, mt, semi no. 720,806 4 Claims. (01. 213-81) The invention relates to railway vehicles and w more particularly to railway vehicle underfranie structure including a yielding coupler carrier and an associated rigid safety carrier.

One object of the invention is to simplify the construction and assembly of the yielding coupler I carrier and associated structure and to facilitate the removal of the yielding carrier.

Another object is to provide for tilting the yielding carrier in a vertical plane extending transversely of the car and to avoid between the parts.

undue play I Other detail objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top view and partial section on the line l--l of Figure 2 of a railway vehicle underframe structure including a coupler carrier constructed according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section taken approximately on the line 2-4 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical section taken approximately on the line 3-4 of Figure 1.

The, vehicle platform I has a buffer sill 2 at its forward end and a'substantially U-shaped safety support 3 for a coupler is integral with and depends from the buffer sill and includes side members 4 and 5 and a horizontal cross bar 6. The coupler includes a head 8 and a shanks which has its rear end attached to a draft gear (notshown) mounted on draft sills Ill integral with the platform. i 7

Normally the coupler is supported by a yielding carrier ll suspended near its ends by vertical bolts H which extend through springs IS with the upper ends of the bolts provided with seats on the springs. The platform safety support side members 4 and 5 have rearwardly projecting integral brackets l4 seating springs l3.

Angular brackets the safety carrier s'id members 4 and S by bolts [6 and extend rearwardly and inwardly of the v5 .are attached rigidly tomembers and form vertical guides l9. Each end.

. Each bracket It has a downwardly and in wardly projecting lug 20 underlying but spaced below carrier II and serving as a safety device in the-.event of failure of the corresponding spring The spring and bolt units l2, 13 supporting the floating carrier are readily applied to and removed from the platform casting, and the guide brackets l5 are similarly readily applied to and removed from the safety support side members 4, 5. The safety support cross bar 6 may be of any desired section and may be reinforced interioriy by suitable webs without regard to the presence and operation of the floating carrier.

The details of the construction may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of those modifications coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a railway vehicle underframe end structure having draft sills and provided with rigid members forming a pocket for a' coupler positioned between said sills and adapted to limit downward movement of such a coupler, brackets extending rearwardly of said pocket forming members spaced transversely of the structure and having substantially vertical guides facing toward each other and rearwardly of said pocket forming members, a coupler carrier extending transversely of and beneath said draft sins and having elements at each of its ends to slidingly engage said guides, and means depending from said structure and yieldingly supporting said carrier.

2. in combination, a railway vehicle underframe end structure having draft sills and provided with rigid members forming a pocket for a coupler positioned between said sills and adapted to hmit downward movement or such a coupler, brackets extending rearwardly of said pocket and spaced transversely of the structure and having substantially vertical guides facing toward each other, a coupler carrier extending transversely of and beneath said draft sills and having a-vertically extending channel at each of its ends slidingly receiving a corresponding guide, means depending from said structure and yieldingly sup porting said carrier, and elements rigid with said members and brackets and underlying said carrier to form a safety support therefor.

3. In combination, a railway vehicle underframe end structure having draft sills and provided with rigid members forming a pocket havin: spaced sides and a bottom for a coupler positioned between said draft sills and adapted to limit downward movement of such a coupler, brackets detachably secured to the members forming the sides of said pocket and extending rearwardly and inwardly therefrom to form substantially vertical guides facing toward each other, a coupler carrier extending transversely of and beneath said draft sills with its ends slidable vertically along said guides, means depending from said structure and yieldingly supporting said carrier, and lugs extending downwardly and inwardly from the lower ends of said brackets and underlying the ends of said carrier to form a safety support therefor in the event of failure of said means.

4. In combination. a railway vehicle underframe device including integral elements forming a coupler receiving pocket with upright side members and a bottom member comprising a coupler safety support. a coupler carrier positioned rearwardly of said members and movable vertically relative thereto, a yielding mounting for said coupler carrier positioned rearwardly of said members, brackets secured to the pocket side members and extending rearwardly and inwartherefrom and cooperating with the ends of the coupler carrier to guide the same in its vertical movement. the ends of the coupler carrier being curved verticalb' to accommodate tilting of the carrier in a vertical plane extending transversely of the device.

ALLENH W. CLARKE.

WIILIAM C.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in. file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Dae 562,037 Sehafl'er June- 18, 189.3 1,923,434 Gilpin Aug. 22,1933 2,021,570 Tangerman Nov. 19,1935 2,037,092 Schlesinger Apr. 14, 1936 2,129,173 Gilpln Sept. 6,1938 2,149,840 Christianson Mar. 7, 1935? 2,281,662 Bazeley May 5,1942 2,299,541 Harwick Oct. 241, 1942 2,431,864 Dean Dec. 21,1947 

